


She Gave Me A Purpose

by Mezzybaby



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Comfort/Angst, Gen, Parental Bonding, Tragedy, less edgy shadow, there will be tears
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:14:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29079942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mezzybaby/pseuds/Mezzybaby
Summary: The story of Shadow's origin is also the telling of two other's ends. Through these events, an anti-hero, a villain, and a sacrifice were created.
Relationships: Gerald Robotnik & Maria Robotnik, Gerald Robotnik & Shadow the Hedgehog, Maria Robotnik & Shadow the Hedgehog
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	1. Hour 1

**Author's Note:**

> These first couple of chapters will be short, but I promise that they will get longer.

“Is he awake, Grandfather?”

“Step back, child, we don’t know if he’s dangerous ye-”

“He’s waking up!”

Those were the first clear words he had ever heard. Of course, he didn’t know what they meant. 

He blinked a few times as he tried to get whatever liquid he had been floating in out of his eyes. His vision was so blurry that all he could see were some dark shapes circling around above him.

“Hand me that towel, Maria,” one of them said.

One of the forms disappeared and came back. Something warm and soft was rubbed across his head, face, and body. He still couldn’t see anything clearly and now he was cold.

“Vitals seem normal so far,” he could hear someone say from out of his view, “Lungs should be fully functional.”

“Proceed.”

Something plastic was placed into his mouth and stuck down his throat. On instincts, he tried to move his head and get away from it, but someone was holding him firmly by the back of the neck. 

“We’re just helping you out,” someone said as whatever was in his mouth began sucking something out of his throat. It left his mouth, made a weird noise, and was inserted in his mouth again. He tried to thrash around again, but the hold on his neck was keeping him still enough. “It’s almost over.”

“They never like this part,” someone else said.

Whoever was holding him laughed. “Would you?”

The thing was removed, then inserted into his nose, first the left nostril, and then the right. This time, he tried to swat it away with his hands, but his arms felt so heavy that all he managed to do was lightly shove it. Frustrated, he opened his mouth and started yelling, a noise he didn’t know he could make. 

“Lungs are definitely working.”

The object was removed and then the soft warm thing was rubbed across his face again. It then was wrapped around him. He stopped yelling, the warmth calming him down a bit, and tried opening his eyes again. Everything was still blurry and the figures were still there. 

One of them got close, stuck their arms underneath him, and lifted him. He closed his eyes again, the movement making him feel uneasy, and kept them close until they laid him down on something soft. 

When he opened his eyes, the figure had moved away and another, smaller figure stood in front of what he laid on. 

Her eyes were blue. Blue and comforting. Her hair was bright blond and she was the color of cream. Of course, he didn’t know what colors were yet but that’s what he saw.

“You’re okay,” she said as she reached towards him and stroked his hair, “You’re safe. Grandfather is going to take good care of you.”

He wasn’t sure who Grandfather was or why her stroking his hair felt nice but it did and before he knew it, he was falling asleep. 

“I said to be careful, Maria!”

“But he’s gentle. What are we going to name this one?”

“This is Project Shadow.”

“Shadow,” he heard her say with a giggle, “Sleep well, Shadow.”


	2. Week 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, but I hope the cuteness makes up for it.

Shadow woke up while the room was still dark. By the fourth day, he had grown used to waking up before the figures returned, who he now knew to be scientists and his caretakers. 

His bed, a giant cylinder on a propped up stand, was still closed. It wouldn’t open until the scientist came to release him. He didn’t mind waiting. Since the non scientist, Maria, had added pillows and blankets to his bed, it was much more warm and comfortable. 

He looked out the glass that covered the top part of his bed and watched as the lights came on row by row. The room was medium sized, containing only his bed, a few cabinets against the wall opposite of him, and a metal table and desk on the far wall. This was the room that they kept him in most of the time. Yesterday, they had walked him to the room across the hall, but that was only to show him where he had come from. 

“This chamber,” the scientist he had come to know as “The Professor” had said, “Was where you were created.”

He remembered looking at the large cylinder with confusion. It looked a lot like his bed, except it was completely vertical and it was hooked to a lot of wires and tubes. They said he had been floating around inside of it until he was big and strong enough to survive without the machine’s help. That had been a week ago.

His eyes darted towards the door as a man approached the desk and sat down. He was a large man, both in width and height, and always wore a white lab coat. He was bald and round tinted glasses always covered his eyes and rested on his large pointy nose. A big, bushy, grey mustache grew out to the side from under his nose and stretched far past his face. 

This was The Professor.

He seemed to be getting some papers sorted out on the desk, then looked up and smiled at Shadow. “Eager as always. Just a moment and I'll let you out. Just have to make sure- Ah, here it is.”

The Professor grabbed a clipboard, walked over to him, and pressed a button on the outside of the bed. There was a hiss as air was released and the glass lifted up and swung open like a door. 

He threw the blanket off of himself and stepped out next to his primary caregiver. The Professor was much bigger than him, about twice his height, and much more than twice his width. 

“Did you sleep well?” The Professor asked.

Shadow nodded.

“Ah, remember, use your voice.”

“Y-yes,” he said, “I sleep well.”

The Professor nodded and wrote something down on his clipboard. “Slept. You’re getting there. Now, let’s have some breakfast, shall we?”

Shadow nodded and started towards the desk.

“We aren’t eating there today,” The Professor said as he headed towards the door, “Follow me, please.”

A bit confused, Shadow followed him and was surprised again when they walked past the room he had taken him to yesterday. They continued walking down a long hallway, passing many unopened doors, until they came to a set of double doors to their left. 

“Sit down and relax,” The Professor said as he took another look at him, “You are safe here.”

He opened the door and held the door open for Shadow to go inside. 

Peeking in, Shadow could see that many of the scientists were already in there. And it looked like they were all eating breakfast. He looked up at The Professor, double checking to make sure that this was what he was supposed to do, and went inside.

The room wasn’t loud, but it was a lot louder than his quiet room. There were many long tables lined up in rows and columns, about five down and six across. At each table sat several scientists, who looked up and stared at him as he walked by. The wall in the back of the room was a large window looking out to….he wasn’t sure. 

“What is it?” The Professor asked when Shadow suddenly stopped.

“Is that...what outside looks like?” Shadow said slowly.

“Yes,” The Professor said as he too looked towards the window, “I suppose we haven’t gotten to the subject of space yet.”

“It’s…” Shadow wasn’t sure.

“Grandfather!” a girl called out as she ran over to them, “Is he eating with us today?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Hi, Shadow,” the non-scientist, Maria, said as she bent down a bit to match his eye level, “Are you ready to eat?”

He nodded, and then pointed to the window. “What’s space?”

Maria followed his gaze, and then smiled. “It’s one of my favorite subjects. Oh, Grandfather?” She stood up and looked up at the big man. “Can we eat by the window so that I can teach him about space?”

“I figured you would ask that,” The Professor said as he started walking towards a table in the back, “Alright, but take it easy on him. He’s only a week old.”

So for the next hour, Maria tried to explain everything she knew about space. The scientists would pause from their conversations to marvel at the young girl’s facts and to also chuckle at Shadow’s confused looks.

“It’s so dark out there because there’s nothing, absolutely nothing,” she said while pointing to the darkness past the window, “But through all that scary darkness are stars, planets, asteroids, comets…” She sighed.

“There’s so much,” Shadow said.

She nodded. “More than we will ever know. But I’m okay with not knowing everything. If I did, I’d have a really big head.”

That got Shadow to laugh and the scientists seemed surprised by this. 

“But my most favorite thing in space and something I do want to know all about,” she said as she lowered her voice to a whisper, “Is Earth.”

“Earth?”

“Shhhh! Grandfather doesn’t like it when I talk about it.”

“I’m right next to you,” the Professor mumbled, “I’ll be back. I have to check in with another department.”

“Okay!” Maria waved as he got up from the table and left. Then she turned back to Shadow. “Earth is a planet and is the only planet with living creatures that we know of. It’s big, blue, ...and do you want to see it?”

“Maria, I don’t think your Grandfather would want you to run off with Project Shadow,” a female scientist sitting across from them said, “He’s in a fragile state now, but he can be very dangerous. You should know this about them.”

“But he doesn’t seem as aggressive as some of the others,” Maria said and then looked back at him, “In fact, he seems really nice.”

Shadow tilted his head a little. He didn’t feel like he had done anything particularly kind to Maria. He certainly hadn’t been mean, so maybe that’s what she meant. 

And what did dangerous mean?


	3. Week 2

The Professor, Gerald Robotnik, sat in a large, dark room with its only light source being the giant screen on the window. He and the other leading scientists sat uncomfortably in individual, smooth white desks, each having a computer monitor. 

“Robotnik, we need to start seeing results,” the man on the screen said.

Gerald calmly stood from his desk. “There are stepping stones. We are working diligently to get not only tactical war machines running but to also create scientific breakthroughs.”

The white haired, cream colored man on screen sighed in frustration. “That may be the case, but billions have been put into countless projects with only a few measly findings.”

“That is how science works,” the Professor said slowly, “And our findings have not been ‘measly’, Mr. President. Each discovery leads us on a greater path-”

“We are getting tired of waiting.”

“I understand that. But we are reaching new limits with each passing day with this new project and-”

“And how long do you suppose it will take before we can see those limits?”

The Professor paused for a moment. “That ...is hard to say.”

“How long until Project Shadow is reliable, Robotnik?”

“I cannot sa-”

“Do you know how much your research is costing us? We cannot continue to fund you without useful results!”

“You have asked me to play God and I have!” the Professor yelled back, his patience spent, “Now you ask me to do more and we are trying. Project Shadow is our most successful experiment because we are taking a slower and safer approach.”

“Gerald, I am aware of your other research,” the president said calmly, “I know about your little girl. The U.S. government isn’t funding ARK so that you can save one person. We are funding you to protect this country. Show us some results quickly, Gerald, or we are pulling all of your funding and shutting you down. You have three months. Don’t disappoint me again.”

The screen went black and left the room in darkness until the lights slowly came on.

“Professor Robotnik?” one of the scientists said.

“We will continue to work on Project Shadow as planned. We will move into stage two in a few weeks.”

“We’re almost there,” Maria said as she led Shadow down a hallway. She stood behind him and was covering his closed eyes with her hands. 

“The Professor won’t like that I’m out of my room while he’s gone.”

“I’ll get you back before then, but you should really see this.”

“What are you trying to show me?”

“You’ll see, now keep walking.”

He grumbled something about being “irresponsible”, but kept moving. 

She smiled. Shadow had only been alive for two weeks, yet he seemed to be changing a lot. Not only was he a few inches taller, but his voice had gotten deeper. His black and red fur seemed fuller in color and his quills had strangely curved upwards at the ends. Her grandfather started letting him out of his room more often, so he had given him white gloves and specially designed shoes to keep him warm. He also spoke more fluently, could read and do simple math. 

But that wasn’t what made her smile. A week ago, he would have been too nervous to go anywhere without her grandfather. Disobeying him would have been unheard of. But now, his curiosity was getting the better of him and while she was leading him, she knew that he could stop her if he wanted to.

“We’re here,” she said as she stopped him in front of a window, “Are you ready?”

He nodded and she took her hands away from his face. She had to hold back a laugh when he flinched and backed into her.

“What is that?! It’s bigger than the ARK.”

“What does it look like? Don’t worry, it won’t attack us," she said as she laid a comforting hand on his head.

He gave her a skeptical look, but took a step towards the window. The giant orb was bigger than anything he had ever seen. It was mostly blue and green, but white seemed to swirl above everything. There were also areas where the green was replaced with bright lights of gold. 

“Is this Earth?” He said as he looked back at her.

She nodded and marveled at the view. “This is my favorite spot to come and see it. To think that so many animals and people live there is amazing.”

“When will the Professor take us there?”

“I don’t know when he’ll take you...but I won’t get to go.”

“Why?”

She sighed and sat down in front of the window. “I’m sick with a very rare disease. It’s so bad that the polluted air on Earth would kill me.”

“Kill you?”

She nodded. “I would go to sleep and never wake up. I’d be gone forever.”

“Then you can’t go to Earth,” Shadow said, sounding defensive. 

She smiled. “But a day might not hurt. What I would give for a day feeling the grass and seeing the animals. I would talk to all the people I could and when I looked up, I’d see how they see the ARK, so far away.”

“Is there a way to cure you?”

“Maybe. Grandfather said he’s working on a cure and that he won’t stop until he’s found one.”

“Maybe when the Professor finds a cure, you can come down with us,” Shadow said as he sat down next to her. 

She smiled more. She knew that there was a huge chance that Shadow would leave before she was better, but she still liked that he cared. 

“Shadow! Maria!” the Professor said as he walked towards them quickly. He had two other scientists with him and none of them looked happy. “Where have you two been?”

“Just here, Grandfather,” Maria said as she and Shadow stood up. So much for getting Shadow back in time.

“You know better,” he continued once he had stopped in front of them, “What if he had started to malfunction? What would you have done then?”

“He’s not a robot,” Maria said as she looked down, “I would have just helped him like I would with anyone.” She looked up to find her grandfather with his arms folded over his chest and his eyebrows lowered onto his dark glasses.

“The point I’m making Maria,” he said slower, “Is that Project Shadow is not a toy or a playmate. He is being specially designed to fulfill a purpose. If anything happens to him, a great deal of my research will have been for nothing.”

“I know he isn’t a toy. He’s a member of this space station and every member of this space station should be able to see this view at least once. And he deserves to have some free time every once in a while.”

“Maria, you’re making the mistake of bonding with him. He is not meant to be your friend.”

“Why not?”

Surprised, everyone turned to Shadow. Until now, he had been standing beside Maria and trying not to draw attention to himself. Now, he was looking up at the Professor with a frown.

“Why can’t I be friends with Maria?”

The Professor opened his mouth to speak, then closed it with a sigh. “You were made for something else, Shadow.”

“What?”

“You will find that out soon,” the Professor said as he put a hand on Shadow’s back and began leading him back to his room, “I don’t want you sneaking off anymore. To make certain of that, you are not to go anywhere without my exact instructions. Am I clear?”

“Yes sir.”

“And Maria,” he said while turning back towards her, “You are grounded for a week. You are also not to go anywhere without my permission. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Grandfather,” she mumbled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Young, innocent Shadow is so fun to write.


	4. Week 3

This wasn’t the training that Shadow was used to. Normally, training would mean sitting down at a desk and learning whatever it was that the Professor wanted him to learn. Now, he was in a metal plated room and had odd white patches on his temples, chest, arms, and legs.

“Leave these on,” he remembered the Professor saying, “These will help us monitor your health and progress.”

He could see the Professor and several scientists on the other side of a window, but there wasn’t anyone or anything in the room with him. 

“Testing. Can you hear me, Shadow?” the Professor said through a microphone, “This room is designed to test and train your physical abilities. First, we will begin with simple cardio.”

One part of the wall in the corner slid open, causing Shadow to jump, and something resembling a hamster wheel slid out. 

“This,” the Professor continued, “Will track your speed. Get onto the wheel and wait for it to start.”

Shadow did as he was told and stepped onto the large metal wheel. The inside of it was lined with tread and it was wide enough for him to stand comfortably. The wheel began moving a few seconds later and he began walking.

“Good, continue to move with it,” Gerald said, “And if at any point it gets too fast for you, hit the red button in front of you.”

“Grandfath-”

Gerald flinched and turned to find his granddaughter behind him. “Maria! This is a restricted area. And aren’t you grounded?”

“You said for only a week,” Maria answered while looking out the window, “What’s Shadow doing?”

“He’s reaching 5 miles per hour, sir,” a male scientist next to them said.

“We’re trying to see how physically fit he is,” the Professor explained.

“But he’s only three weeks old,” Maria said, “He can’t go that fast ye-”

“Ten mph,” the scientist said.

“Shadow isn’t like you and I. He’s growing at a much faster rate and is capable of much greater things. Where you and I would have to learn to crawl, then walk, he can quickly learn to walk, then run.”

“Fifteen mph and still climbing!”

“How do you know how fast he’s going?”

Gerald motioned for Maria to come closer and pointed to a number on his monitoring station. It had just passed 16mph and was going up.

“What’s the fastest a human can run?” she asked while looking back towards Shadow. He was beginning to look tired.

“Around 20 mph, on average,” Gerald said.

She looked back down at the monitor, which read 18mph. “He’s almost past that!”

She watched eagerly as the number steadily climbed to 19mph, but once it reached 18.89, it stopped abruptly, and quickly receded. 

“What happened?” She looked back into the room and could see the wheel slowing down. Once it was slow enough, Shadow hopped off and collapsed onto his hands and knees.

“He stopped it,” Gerald said as he pressed a button. The wheel slowly receded back into the wall. “He reached his max speed.”

“Is he hurt?”

“Shadow?” Gerald said over the microphone, “How are you feeling?”

The hedgehog stood up. “Fine.” He smiled. “Could I try that again?”

Gerald laughed. “I applaud your determination, but we must continue your physical. This won’t be the last that you see of that wheel, I promise.”

After an hour of testing his abilities, Shadow sat in the cafeteria with his head resting on the table. 

“You need to eat, Shadow,” he could hear Maria say to his right.

“I’m too tired,” he mumbled back.

“Not eating will only make you feel worse,” she said, “You have to replace the fuel you used up.”

He groaned and sat up. Today’s lunch was broccoli, ham, and spaghetti. Maria had been sure to pile plenty on his plate. 

“She’s right,” Gerald said as he wiped spaghetti sauce from his mustache, “You’ve used up a lot of energy.”

“How well did I do?”

“Well, if I’m remembering my charts correctly, your speed was almost 19mph, you were able to lift half your body weight, and your agility is average for an adult. Your vitals are normal and will only improve from here. Outstanding, Shadow.”

"Thank you, Professor," he said as his ears perked up. 

"Grandfather," Maria said, "Will Shadow get free time after this?"

"He may rest after this, yes," Gerald said as he raised a brow, "Why?"

“Is it alright if I, um, help him study?"

"Study? He's excelling in all of his studies and I highly doubt that he would want to study when he's ti-"

"Actually, Professor," Shadow interrupted, "I'm having some trouble and I think Maria would be able to help me."

"Really?" Gerald said as he folded his arms, "What subject?"

"Uh, space. I find that she teaches me that subject the best."

"Indeed, she does," the Professor said slowly. He looked between the two for a few seconds, then looked at a fellow co-worker who overheard the entire thing. The man just shrugged and went back to eating.

"....Alright," Gerald said with a sigh, "But I'll be there doing paperwork, so I want to see an actual lesson."

"Yes, Grandfather."

"Yes, Professor."

"Studying" happened right after dinner in Shadow's room. As he said, the Professor sat at his desk and graded tests that he had given Shadow the day before. It should have taken a few minutes to grade each, but they kept distracting him.

Shadow and Maria were laying on their stomachs on the rug, propped up on their elbows and staring at a book. It both amazed and amused the professor that they were both kicking their legs back and forth in a sort of rhythm. It only took them about a minute to start kicking their legs in sync without being aware of it. 

“So far, Earth is the only habitable planet in our solar system. It is the only planet that has just the right conditions to sustain life,” he heard Maria read. 

“This solar system has nine planets, yet only one seems to have a unique purpose,” Shadow said, “The other planets just seem to be ...there.”

Maria looked up from the book and at Shadow. “I think there’s life on other planets outside of our solar system, but we haven’t discovered them yet.”

“The book doesn’t say that.”

“There has to be. It would be a very boring universe if we were floating around the only planet that had life. There’s probably a billion planets out there. How can there only be one perfect one?”

Gerald smiled as he went back to grading. Maria was a smart, hopeful, and inquisitive girl, almost too much for her own good. It reminded him of a much younger and less government funding dependent version of himself. He could see her making grand advances in whatever field she decided to master, some sort of astrology field maybe, and surpassing him in all his research. He wouldn’t mind it; he would be a proud-

“Grandfather?”

“Huh? Yes, Maria?”

Both Maria and Shadow were now looking over at him. Both of their legs were frozen in mid kick. 

“I asked,” Maria continued, “What is Shadow?”

“What is he? He’s the ultimate lifeform, a combination of different-”

“What animal?” she specified.

“Hedgehog.”

“I told you,” Shadow said to her.

“But that’s not right,” she said as she shook her head, “Hedgehogs don’t look like you. They aren’t nearly as tall and they definitely don’t talk.”

“Have you ever seen one in person?”

“No, but the animal book I have says that they’re small and communicate with squeeks, pops, hisses, and screams.”

“I’ve never done any of those.”

“You did scream and hiss the day you were born, but you’ve never done any of the other things.”

They looked back up at him.

“Of course he isn’t a normal hedgehog,” Gerald said as he shook his head, “I designed him to be the ultimate lifeform. He was based off of and is an anthropomorphic hedgehog, and has been specially designed to do so much more than any hedgehog or man could do.”

“What do normal hedgehogs look like?” Shadow asked. 

“There’s a picture of one in my animal book,” Maria said as she got up, “Come on, I’ll show you!”

“M-Maria!” Gerald tried to call out, but by then it was too late. They both were already out the door and probably on their way to Maria’s room. “I need to make less appealing lifeforms.”


	5. Week 4

“You have to do what?” Shadow said as he looked at the strange tools with unease. 

“We have to take some blood samples and give you a physical,” Gerald explained as he and his assistant put on gloves, “It’ll be similar to the one you had the day after you were born.”

“You mean the one I cried during,” Shadow said as the memories of being held down came flooding back. He remembered when the same cart of tools was rolled into his room and he was subjected to thirty minutes of cold metal tools and needles. His quills raised just thinking about it. At least then, it had only been the cart. Now, he had to sit in a small room, in a large chair, with the cart.

“You were new to the world then and didn’t understand what was going on,” Gerald said as he stood beside Shadow, “It won’t be as bad. We’ll start with the ears.” 

A phone on the wall rang. When the assistant answered it, he said a few words and then turned to the professor. “It’s your granddaughter, sir.” 

“Even on bedrest, she can’t stay put,” Gerald mumbled under his breath, “Put her on speaker. Turn your head, Shadow.”

“Grandfather?” a tired sounding Maria said through the speakers, “How is everyone?”

“Same and busy as usual, my dear. And how are you feeling? Still light headed? Other side.”

“A little. I’ve thrown up once or twice since you told me to lay down, but I have a bag.”

“Have you slept like I told you to? Open wide, tongue out.”

“Yes, for a little while. What are you doing?”

“I’m giving Shadow a physical. You can close your mouth, now.”

“Hi, Shadow!”

“Hello, Maria,” Shadow responded back, “I hope you get better soon.”

“I do too. I don’t enjoy being in bed all day. It makes me feel lazy.”

“But it is needed. Take some deep breaths for me, Shadow. Yes, just like that.”

“I know,” Maria sighed, “Wait, you said physical? You aren’t going to give him a shot again, are you?”

“We have to make sure that he is fit and healthy in all regards. Jeremy, can you check his reflexes while I get the syringe? Be sure to keep a distance from him when you do.”

The assistant seemed a little confused at the added caution, but shrugged and went over to Shadow with a reflex hammer.

“I’m healthy, really,” Shadow said.

“I can’t take your word for it,” Gerald said as he went through the cabinets, “Ah, there it i-”

“GOD FFFfffff-!”

Gerald jumped from the sudden outcry and turned to find his assistant hopping on one foot and holding his other leg with his hands.

“It was an accident!” Shadow said quickly.

Gerald stifled a laugh and said to the assistant, “He kicked you, didn’t he?”

“Yes, that damn-!” The assistant took a deep breath and lowered his leg back to the floor. “Yes, sir, Project Shadow kicked me.”

“I told you to stand back for a reason,” Gerald said as he came back over by Shadow and began preparing the needle to draw blood.

“It sounds like Shadow’s reflexes are good,” Maria said with a giggle.

“I didn’t mean to,” Shadow said, “It just happ-”

“It’s alright, Shadow, you had no control over that,” Gerald said, “Now it’s time for the hard part.”

Shadow’s ears fell as he stared at the tip of the needle. “We can just forget about this part.”

“Shadow,” Maria said, “If you’re good and you hold still, we can make ice cream when I’m better.”

“What’s ice cream?” 

“We’ve never told you what ice cream is?!” Maria’s voice screeched through the speakers, “It’s a cold yummy treat that just- Grandfather, why haven’t we told him about this?”

“I’m trying not to get him hooked on sugar,” Gerald said as he rubbed his ringing ears, “Something I failed to prevent with you.”

“It sounds good,” Shadow said.

“Oh, you’ll adore ice cream, Shadow, I promise!”

“But first,” the professor said, “You have to hold still for the needle.”

Shadow looked at the sharpened metal. He still hated the stupid thing, but he nodded and held still. 

  
  


“The tests are....astonishing, Professor Robotnik,” a female scientist said as she looked through a microscope, “We’ve done tests with several strains of viruses, the common cold, AIDs, and cancer over the last few days and his blood is fighting it off as if it were nothing.”

Gerald smiled and let out a deep sigh of relief. “We are progressing again, finally.”

The scientist turned to him, a stunned look on her face. “H-have we done it?”

“Created another immortal being? It looks that way.”

“But he doesn’t seem like an uncontrollable being or a weapon. He’s….naïve, like a child.”

“I never wanted to create something that could be used as a weapon,” Gerald said as he looked out the window at the stars, “Contrary to what the president is asking of me. But I must say that while he does appear to be child-like, he is still very dangerous.”

“If he is dangerous, is it a good idea to have your granddaughter around him?”

“Maria?” Gerald said as he smiled and looked back at the scientist, “I believe he benefits from being around her and vise versa.”

“How so?”

“She is giving him reasons to want to help, not hurt. When the president does try to use him as a weapon, Shadow will have a sense of what’s wrong and right and will hopefully make the right decisions. In turn, he’s giving her something to look forward to while she’s stuck up here.” He chuckled. “I guess it’s sort of my way of getting back at the president.”

The scientist nodded as she began preparing for another experiment. “They seem to be bonding quite well. They are almost inseparable.”

Gerald let out a deep sigh. “That is what worries me. While I wanted them to bond some, I didn’t want them to become best friends. But I should have seen that coming.”

“Maybe that isn’t such a bad thing,” the scientist said, “Their friendship is unorthodox, but as you said, it is benefiting them both.”

“She can’t keep him,” Gerald said, “Once he knows of his abilities, he will be too dangerous to have around her. The president will eventually order us to send him down to Earth and then God knows what will happen to him. Maria will likely never see him again.”

“So you don’t want her to get too attached. Well, maybe if you prepare them for it now, it won’t be so hard for them to say goodbye.”

“Perhaps. Speaking of which, I had better go check on them. They’re in the kitchen making ice cream.”

“I pray that the kitchen is still attached to ARK.”

Gerald chuckled again and walked out of the research lab and made his way down the hall. He put his hands behind his back and took his time. He needed time to think. Eventually, Maria and Shadow would have to part ways. Maria was staying with him and Shadow would most likely be used in secret military attacks. They would turn that naive hedgehog into a killer, a weapon. Maria would ask about him and her grandfather would have to comfort her with some lie. 

He hated himself for it already.

He came to the kitchen and stepped in when the door slid open. Waiting for him was his assistant Jeremy, who he had left in charge, trying to turn off a mixer, which was splashing liquids everywhere. When the drenched assistant had gotten the rogue machine to turn off, he looked up at the professor and gave him a surprised smile.

“Where is Maria and Shadow?” Gerald asked.

“We’re here,” Maria said as she and Shadow stood up from behind the counter. She was standing behind Shadow, who had been using a large aluminum mixing bowl to shield them. “The mixer attacked us.”

“It attacked the entire kitchen as well,” Gerald said as he looked around, “I thought you would have the ice cream in the freezer by now.”

“We have the first five batches in the freezer,” Maria said happily.

“Five?!”

“We wanted to make enough for you and all of the scientists as well,” Shadow said as he put the bowl down, “We also made different flavors.”

Gerald looked at the assistant again, who just shrugged as he whipped the milk out of his eyebrows. He looked back at Shadow and Maria. Both of their hands and arms were covered in various ice cream ingredients and he was sure that they had gotten it into their hair. Even so, they both were grinning and looked at him with big hopeful eyes as they waited for his response.

“That’s very sweet of you three,” Gerald said as he wiped his eyes, making it seem as though he had something in them. 

The day he had to separate those two would be the day that he'd break their hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all have been enjoying the sweet moments, because there will be tears next week. ;)


	6. 1 Month, Week 1

“.....seven, eight, nine, ten! Ready or not here I come!” Maria announced as she uncovered her eyes and looked around. She was on top of her bed in her room. Nothing looked moved and there didn’t seem to be anyone else there. She slowly got off of her bed and tiptoed to her closet. She grabbed onto the door knob and yanked it open. 

The only things in there were clothes hanging from their hangers. She looked in between the clothes, then closed the closet when she was satisfied with her search. 

“Maybe he went to his room,” she mumbled to herself as she opened her door. 

She peered out into the hallway and looked to the left and right. No sign or sound of Shadow. She closed her door and began to speed walk to his room. As she did, she noticed that she didn’t pass by anyone in the hallways. She knew that her grandfather was hard at work getting more things ready for Shadow’s training and figured that everyone was with him. The preparation was the reason that Shadow was able to play hide and seek with her today. 

Maria made it to Shadow’s room and threw open the door, hoping to catch him off guard. She didn’t see any movement or a sign that anyone was in there, yet she took no chances, especially when her opponent was Shadow. 

She had only taught him the game of hide and seek a few days prior, and he was already highly skilled at the game. He would take advantage of his smaller size and curl up in tight spaces. His sense of hearing allowed him to hear her before she entered a room. And when it was his turn to seek, there was no outrunning him; his top speed on the wheel was now 30mph!

After searching the cabinet and under the desk, she let out a frustrated groan and left out of the room. She walked further down the hallway, hoping to find some clue as to where that hedgehog had gone. He had already won twice today and her reputation as a professional seeker was tarnishing. 

She walked towards the kitchen and peered in. That’s when she found her clue. The chefs had made chocolate chip brownies for dinner and had left a plate of them to cool. Right now, those chefs were probably off on their breaks. She tiptoed closer to the counter for a better look.

Crumbs littered the top of the counter, leading from the plate and onto the white marble. The trail seemed to drop off the counter and disappear. She soundlessly leaned on the counter and waited. A few seconds later, she heard the sound of a cabinet open. 

More seconds passed and Maria began to fear that Shadow had heard her. Her worries were replaced with eagerness as she spotted a white gloved hand reach up and over towards the brownie. She smiled and raised her hand for the strike. When his hand was about to touch the chocolate dessert, she grabbed it and yelled, “Gotcha ya!”

Shadow pulled his hand back and looked over the counter to see Maria grinning at him. “No fair!” he said as he crossed his arms, “You used food against me.”

Maria came around the counter and took a brownie off of the plate. “You used food against yourself. Everyone knows that Shadow the Hedgehog cannot resist the amazing taste that is chocolate.”

“Alright, but that’s only one point for you,” Shadow said as he took a brownie as well, “And it’s my turn to find you.”

“Actually,” someone said as they entered the kitchen, “Gerald wants to see Shadow.” It was Jeremy, and he seemed to have become a caretaker to Shadow and Maria.

“But I thought this was going to be a day off for Shadow,” Maria said.

“Sorry, Maria, but your grandfather has given me orders,” Jeremy said with a shrug, “Come on, Shadow.”

“Wait,” the hedgehog said and stood by Maria, “I can’t go anywhere without my representative.”

“Your what?”

“His representative,” Maria answered, “No taxation without a representative.”

“That’s not…” Jeremy tried to explain. He finally just shook his head and gestured for them both to follow him. “History is not your guy’s subject.”

He led them to the room where the scientist monitored Shadow’s weekly fitness tests. Gerald and other scientists were finishing hooking up a t.v. monitor. 

“Is this a part of another test, Professor?” Shadow said as he went over to the tall man. 

“Sort of,” he responded quietly. He seemed nervous as he fumbled with the remote to the t.v. He sighed, then turned to where Maria was still standing with Jeremy. “Maria, I’m sorry, but you can’t stay for this one.”

“But I’ve stayed all the other times,” Maria said with a worried face, “Why is this one so different?”

“This is a psychological test,” Gerald said as he found the right channel, “Tell him that I found the channel.”

One of the other scientists repeated that into a phone. A few seconds later, the American symbol, eagle and all, showed up on the small screen.

“You need to leave, Maria,” Gerald said more forcefully as he eyed the screen, “This isn’t something a young girl should have to see.”

“But that means a young boy like Shadow shouldn’t watch it either,” Maria said with her voice laced in worry, “What are you going to make him watch?”

“This is not my choice!” Gerald yelled, causing everyone in the room to jump. Gerald was usually a calm and gentle man who rarely raised his voice in anger, especially at Maria.

Maria’s eyes watered and Gerald instantly regretted his actions.

“This video is for the training purposes of Project Shadow” a voice said from the t.v. “Unauthorized viewing may be punishable by law.”

Gerald went over to Maria. He crouched down and wrapped his arms around her.

“Is it because I’m unauthorized?” Maria whimpered.

Gerald chuckled and kissed her on the head. “Oh, I wish that was it. Trust me when I say that I wouldn’t even subject Shadow to this if I had my way. But I have orders which have to be followed.”

Maria glanced over at Shadow, who was watching the t.v. and glancing at them periodically. “Can I see him afterwards?”

“We’ll talk about that later.”

Maria gave Gerald another worried looked, but she trusted her grandfather. She went over to Shadow, gave him a hug, and left the room with Jeremy. Shadow watched her go, then looked at Gerald as though he was waiting for an explanation. 

“Watch the screen, Shadow,” Gerald said as he sat down in a nearby seat, “And know in advance that I’m sorry.”

Shadow wasn’t sure what he could mean by that, but sat down on the floor and obeyed. At the moment, a man who called himself “the president” was addressing him by name and talking about something called “the military”. 

“These men put their lives on the line to protect this great country,” the man was saying, “But, considering your unique creation and controlled environment, you might not know what I’m referring to.” The man leaned forwards, as though he was trying to get closer to Shadow. “You will now be informed.”

The screen switched to a video of men in bright uniform attacking other men in green. They shot them with guns, slashed them with knives, and beat them to the ground. Then, it switched to women and children crying as they were being dragged out of their homes.

Shadow knew there were dangers in the world, had read about countless dangerous animals and places, but these were things he had never seen and never wanted to see. There was so much death and nothing and no one was spared. The screams were too real, too desperate, and Shadow had to cover his ears. 

The video switched back over to the president. “These terrible things happen everyday. That is why you were created; to protect this country and to kill those that would do us harm.”

Shadow looked at Gerald with wide eyes. The professor had never told him why he was created, just hinted at the fact that it was important. But did that “important” thing really just consist of killing?

“Do you understand, Project Shadow? Your unique powers and special enhancements were meant to be used for combat and special missions. You will normally be tasked with protecting the humans you are assigned with and you will be under their command and my own. No one else’s.”

“But, when I go back home with you and Maria, won’t I still be listening to you?” Shadow said with a hopeful look.

“Keep watching,” Gerald said quietly and pointed towards the t.v. “I am under his command as well.”

The president grabbed a folder of papers and opened them up. “Your combat training will begin today. You will learn how to use your abilities. Then you will learn how to use them in combat. I believe you may enjoy learning how to neutralize and kill enemies. You projects are normally the violent type.”

Shadow’s jaw clenched as he watched the president smile at his comment. “Why would I enjoy killing?” he growled as though the man would hear him from the other side of the glass.

“He’s just making assumptions,” Gerald said, his voice sounding tired and tried, “He hasn’t met you yet.”

“I don’t want to meet him,” Shadow said as he stood. He didn’t know what the man was saying now, yet he didn’t care. 

“Shadow, sit down,” Gerald said, still in his seat, “I know this is a lot to handle, but I assure you that-”

“You lied to me!” Shadow shouted as he suddenly turned towards Gerald. ”You said I was made for something important!”

Gerald stood then. “You  _ are _ made for something important.”

“Killing is not important!” Tears began burning into his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away. “I don’t want to murder other people and I don’t want that guy telling me what to do.”

“You’d be saving a lot of lives. Isn’t that important?”

Shadow didn’t say anything and continued to wipe his eyes. 

Gerald sighed, then went over to Shadow and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Things are the most difficult to the people that do the most good. You have a good heart, Shadow.”

The hedgehog looked up at him, teary eyed and pouty lipped, as though a crying child would look up to their parents. “This will protect a lot of people?”

“Yes, my boy.”

“Okay….you trust this guy, right? And I’ll still see you and Maria, right?”

Gerald's lips tightened and he took his hand away from Shadow’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Shadow...”

The dark hedgehog froze. His red eyes seemed to stare past Gerald’s glasses. The tears seemed to stop flowing, his breathing ceased, and his expression went blank.

“S-Shadow?” Gerald said. He tried to grasp his shoulders again, but Shadow stepped away. He watched as the seemingly small creature wiped away the remaining tears on his face and stared at him again.

His stare was dangerous and deadly. He had never looked at anyone that way. He never needed to. He walked backwards towards the t.v., staring at Gerald the whole way. “Professor, I think I understand my designed purpose. I thank you and the President for assigning me such a prestigious existence.” He made sure that the last part was dripping with sarcasm. 

Gerald signaled for the other scientist to start heading for the door. 

The program on the t.v. still ran, unaware of the growing conflict. “We look forward to working with you, Project-”

“But I don’t want it!” Shadow yelled and turned towards the television. He grabbed hold of it with both hands and threw it. It smashed against the glass of the observation window. He ran at it and jumped up as his whole body was engulfed in red.

“Everyone out, now!” Gerald yelled as he pushed people towards the door. He looked back in time to see his creation’s body turn yellow with raw power. He lunged towards the door at that second, just as an explosion rocked the room.

When Shadow opened his eyes again, he was back in his bed. Wires were attached to stickers on his chest and stomach. The clear door to his bed was tinted so that he could not see out to his room. He rubbed his hand across it, but he still couldn’t see past it. 

“Hello?” he said breathlessly. He realized then that he was more exhausted than he had ever felt. He tried to remember the last thing he had done, but all he could come up with was watching that video. He rubbed his face to clear his thoughts and tried to listen to see if someone was nearby. 

Since the inside of his bed could be switched to sound isolation, he couldn’t hear much of anything. But thanks to his advanced hearing, he was able to hear muffled voices. He could also tell that two of the voices belonged to the Professor and Maria. 

He knocked on the door. “Professor, can I come out?”

He heard the voices continue and Maria’s voice raised as though she was upset. His ears lowered in worry. Maria didn’t usually become upset over petty things. He pressed his ears against the door to hear better, but as he did that the door went clear and he was momentarily blinded by the light of his room.

When his eyes focused, he saw many scientists, including the Professor, looking at him cautiously. Maria looked at him with worry. 

“Can you hear me, Shadow?” the Professor said. 

Shadow nodded, relieved that the sound isolation had been deactivated. “Yes, Professor, but why am I in bed? I don’t remember ever having dinner.”

“What is the last thing you remember?” Gerald said as he crossed his arms.

Shadow tried thinking back as he looked at everyone in the room. Everyone seemed to avoid his gaze, except for Maria, and he couldn’t tell with the Professor. Even Jeremy seemed put off by him. “I remember watching that video with....someone on it. I....became angry.” He looked back at the Professor. 

“The president was informing you of your duties as an asset to the country,” the Professor said. 

Shadow lowered his brow as he listened to Gerald’s tone. There was a hint of anger in there. Was he angry at him? What had he done? 

“Wait, no, I was angry with you,” Shadow said as he glared at the Professor, “You and the man want to make me a weapon.”

Maria looked up at her grandfather in disbelief. “You wouldn’t…”

“That is not my choice to make,” Gerald said as he waved it away as though it was uninteresting, “How are his vitals?”

A nearby scientist turned some knobs on a monitor and took a few notes. “Almost normal,” he said, “But that jolt of sudden power did a number on him. He’ll need to rest in order to get back to full health in time for his training tomorrow.”

“You’re still going to train me to kill?” Shadow said.

The Professor avoided both his and Maria’s accusing looks and looked at the monitors instead. “We will train you to do your jobs efficiently.”

“And if I refuse?”

That made the Professor turn towards him. “Refuse? You are my creation. Would you really refuse me?”

Shadow tensed. To flat out disobey the Professor in front of his face.... A month ago, that would have been taboo to the young hedgehog. The human had taught him almost everything and had treated him as kindly as he treated his granddaughter. He was the only person that he would consider his father. 

But as he looked over to Maria, he realized that she was just as important to him. She had also taught him important things, like the beauty in life. If he accepted this purpose, to serve under ones who would use him as a weapon, then he would be going against what she had taught him. There had to be a better way to protect the people of Earth.

He looked back over to his creator. “Yes, I am refusing.”

“I see,” Gerald said quietly. He tugged on his mustache for a moment, then cleared his throat. “Leave us, everyone.”

The scientist got up and headed for the door, but Maria stayed fixed on looking at Shadow and Gerald. She looked so confused and appeared to be waiting for an explanation. 

“Maria, you as well,” Gerald said simply. 

“Come on, Maria,” Jeremy said as he led her out, “They’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

“Shadow, now is not the time to rebel,” the Professor started once the door had closed, “As I’ve said, I have a boss and these are his commands, not mine.”

“This is wrong,” Shadow said, “I haven’t even been here that long and I know this is wrong.”

“Well, that isn’t for us to decide,” the Professor said as he got closer to Shadow’s bed, “And that stunt you pulled in the observation deck cost this space station greatly. If it weren’t for our successful tests regarding the last two weeks, this station would have been shut down.”

“What stunt?” Shadow asked. 

“What stunt?” Gerald repeated as he rubbed his face, “Right, you don’t remember that. You tapped into your chaos abilities and practically bombed half of the observation deck. Thousands will have to be taken out of our funding, which is money that we needed.”

“But….how did I do that?” Shadow asked more to himself than to the Professor.

“You did that because you were created to do that,” Gerald said, sounding more and more frustrated. 

“So....even before I first woke up....I was going to be a weapon,” Shadow said as he put his hands on the glass to steady himself. The weight of this information slumped his shoulders and made him dizzy. “From the moment I was born, I didn’t have a choice.”

“You do have a choice, Shadow,” Gerald said as he looked down on the hedgehog, “You do.”

Shadow looked up at the Professor, a small amount of naïve hope still glimmering in his eyes.

“You can either go through with the training and accept the jobs that the president assigns to you,” Gerald said slowly, “Or, you can refuse and rebel and get us all kicked off of the ARK. All of our hard work will be gone, you’ll still be taken away, and Maria will-”

“Will die,” Shadow gasped. The Professor still hadn’t found a cure for her illness. Without that cure, she would die within a few days of being on Earth. His legs failed him and he had to lean back on the cushion of his bed. He wasn’t even looking at the Professor anymore. He saw past him, past the door to his room, past the hallways, and in his head he saw Maria. From day one, he had seen Maria. 

“What do you choose?” he heard the Professor say.

“I’ll train,” he responded quietly, “I’ll train tomorrow.”

“Good,” Gerald sighed. He cleared his throat and started for the door. “You’re doing a good thing, Shadow. Your dinner will be brought to you.”

When his dinner came and the door’s to his bed were finally opened, he obeyed the command to eat. He didn’t taste the food, didn’t even know what it was, mostly because it didn’t matter. 

When he finished, only then did he realize that Maria had been waiting for him in the doorway. He ran to her, nearly knocking her down at the speed he ran into her arms, and he cried with his face buried into her shirt. He sobbed like he had a month ago and he didn’t care who saw. All he was aware of and cared about was holding onto his best friend as long as he could.

He wasn’t sure how long it had been, but when Maria moved him back so that she could look at him, they were sitting on the floor. Her eyes were red and puffy and her blonde hair was stuck to her face by her tears. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but she could only sniff and wipe her eyes. 

“Mar....Maria,” Shadow said as he struggled to talk through hiccups, “I’m....I’m scared.”

She gave him a sad smile and dug into the pocket on her dress. She pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his cheeks with it. “So am I.”

“I don’t....I don’t-”

“Do you want me to get you some water for you hiccups?”

Shadow was already shaking his head before she finished. “Don’t leave me....please.”

“Okay,” Maria said. She grabbed hold of his hand and used her thumb to rub across his fingers. “I’m here.”

“....He hates me…..the Professor”

“No, he couldn’t hate you,” Maria said as she hugged him again, “Why do you say that?”

“He’s gonna make....me take the jobs....I’m gonna be….”

“A weapon,” she said sadly, “His bosses are making him do it, otherwise he wouldn’t have done it.”

“I’m going to be ta....ken away.”

“.....Yeah,” Maria sighed, “I heard.” She hugged him a little tighter. “I know.”

He buried his face into her shirt and let the tears run again.

“It’s time for bed, you two,” came the voice of the Professor from the doorway. 

Shadow ears laid flat on his head as he heard the big man’s footsteps get closer. He tightened his hug on Maria and grabbed onto the back of her dress. It already felt like he was being taken away. 

“It’s okay, Shadow,” Maria said as she rubbed the quills on his back down, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He nodded and with most of his remaining strength, he let go of her dress and sat up. Maria’s moist eyes gleamed back at him and he could tell that she felt almost as awful as he did. He stood up with the help of Maria, hugged her one more time, and told her good night. 

Gerald followed him to his bed and shut the door once Shadow was inside. He could feel the Professor staring at him, but he refused to look up. Gerald hadn’t been the direct cause for all of today’s misfortunes but his involvement in it was heavy. He had known throughout Shadow’s short life what was to become of him, and yet he still had allowed him to believe that he would remain with the only people he had ever known and that his reason for being created was an important one. No matter how he said it, the life of a weapon did not sound meaningful. 

He turned and laid his face in his pillow. Today had started out fun, enjoyable, and normal. He had become accustomed to waking up every morning to the Professor opening the doors to his bed and walking to the cafeteria. Maria would be waiting so that they all could go in line and get their food. He would miss his lighthearted training sessions that didn’t seem to have any consequences. Most of all, he would miss Maria and even Gerald. Everyday was a day to remember with those two. They had so much knowledge that they always wanted to share with him and Shadow’s heart soared whenever he finally understood their teachings. He had fun with the games Maria showed him, even if they had played them a hundred times already. 

He wanted to play them all at that moment and beg for Maria and Gerald to teach him something else. Even closing his eyes as they read something, anything, would have brought the comfort he needed. Maybe Gerald would. 

He turned back towards the cleared door. He didn’t care if either was mad at the other. He wanted to hug him, apologize for all of the trouble he caused, and be rocked until he fell asleep. But when he turned around, he saw only his dark room. He was alone.

He laid back down and hugged his blanket tight. When the lump in his throat finally became too much, he buried his face into his blanket, the one Maria gave him....

And he cried. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the beginning of the end from here and we all know what's coming. But on a lighter note, thank you to everyone who has given kudos, read, and commented. It means a lot and encourages me to continue writing.   
> If you have a question, wanna leave a compliment or critique, or wanna yell at me for hitting you in the feels, don't be afraid to leave a comment! I try to reply to every single one.


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